Jacquie Jacobs & Wynne Paquette: Deep Skin

Deep Skin
Paintings by Jacquie Jacobs and Wynne Paquette

It is said that beauty is only skin deep. This exhibit at the Elora Centre for the Arts explores the sensuality of the human body, but pulls us beyond superficial ideas of beauty.

The Minarovich Gallery’s first show of 2006, Deep Skin, presents contemporary explorations of the nude by two women artists: their images of bodies point to the thoughts and personalities within. This show, which runs from January 12 through February 18, features the work of Wynne Paquette and Jacquie Jacobs, two painters not afraid to confront viewers with their bold images and striking mediums. Their works expose the body as a key part of who we are – giving shape to our thoughts, our memories, our sufferings and our joys.

Jacquie Jacobs creates vibrantly coloured, shaped paintings. There is a tension between the inner life of these images – full of colour and gesture – and the shaped edges that define the shapes of the figures. This concern with inner and outer life is developed in her series of Thots, where we see abstract rhythms of colour within the silhouette of a head. Dreamlike and sensual, Jacquie’s works draw us into the inner life of the body.

Wynne Paquette’s nudes are portraits of specific people. These are not anonymous beauties, but people with histories, experiences, and wills of their own. The monumental oil paintings present various types of bodies, each with its unique dignity, strength, and passion. Wynne’s dramatic use of colour pushes these works away from description, expressing what lies beneath the skin.